“Mexicanization” is a term coined by the entrepreneur and economist from Bologna, Alberto Forchielli, who, with this neologism, refers to the fact that Italy is trending toward a Mexican model represented by three economic aspects. The first is excellent Italian industries that would become sealed in compounds protected by armored guards and sophisticated alarms. The second is formed by a substratum of undocumented work that will involve the abuse of underpaid foreign workers. The third, on the other hand, is the most unsettling and dangerous: organized crime.

We interviewed the eclectic entrepreneur yesterday. He boasts an extraordinary CV: MBA with honors from Harvard Business School and an economics degree con lode from the University of Bologna. He is a founding partner at Mandarin Capital Partners, he has worked at the World Bank, and was the head of Finmeccanica S.p.A in the Asia Pacific region. In addition, he was the secretary general for the privatization of IRI, and currently serves on the corporate advisory board of the China Europe International Business School, which is one of the top 30 business schools in the world.

Forchielli is known among the general public for his “explosive” TV appearances in which he says what other won’t. Patently frustrated by political rhetoric, Forchielli encourages young Italians to emigrate, cites the great Italian businesses of the past that have been forgotten by the collective imagination of our time, and dispels stereotypes propagated daily by the media.

However, listening to him I thought that the real risk is not the Mexicanization of Italy, but rather the Mexicanization of our brains. To explain myself better, here are three things that worried me while reading Il Potere è Noioso:

1. We are very poorly informed about what happens around the world every day;
2. We are surrounded by hungrier, more competent people who are more willing to make sacrifices;
3. We don’t know our own history, and therefore are like blind people walking towards a cliff while commenting on the pleasant breeze.

The negative aspect of our predicament is that we’re really in the shitter. The positive aspect is that the points enumerated above are connected by a thin red line represented by a few simple considerations: we can become better informed thanks to the availability of information; propensity to sacrifice depends only on ourselves, therefore we can (and need to) practice it; anyone can learn about our history, so maybe we should turn off the TV and dedicate a few hours a day to studying our past.

Forchielli warns “not to barter four years of fun for a lifetime of misery,” and how can we argue? Turns out the only effective medicine is studying and working much harder than we have been, and “finding ideal historical figures to anchor us” and imagine ourselves as deserving protagonists to model the future rather than endure it.

We live in an exciting world, and we can see the birth of extraordinary technological innovations that will inevitably modify the reality that we’ve known until now. At this point, we need to choose which road to pursue, and it certainly won’t be our demands—however just—that create the future, but rather the actions we undertake every day.

In conclusion, if there is something stimulating in Il Potere è Noioso, it’s that at its core, among the author’s many criticisms, it celebrates the men that in many ways and in many epochs, “despite having every reason to say no, said yes.” They said yes with their sacrifices, their cohesion, by following their passions, and by performing their duties deep down.

Young Italians today might not live to see the Italy we dream of, but we can do our part to be, in turn, the anchors that will one day give hope and strength to those that come after us.
Now is the time to say yes, and prevent the Mexicanization of our brains!

Written By Nicola Pozzati, 1/10/17 and published on 5.9 Web Radio Blog

About the Author

Alberto Forchielli, born in 1955 - MBA with Honors from Harvard Business School and BA cum laude in Economics from University of Bologna - is Founder, Partner, Managing Director, Investment Committee Member and Member of the Board of Mandarin Capital Partners; Founder and President of Osservatorio Asia, a non-profit Research Center focusing on Asia; Founder and President of Cleantech srl, a renewable energy company mainly focused on developing and managing utility-grade solar energy projects. From July 2012 he is Director of the Executive Council of CEIBS (China Europe International Business School) in Shanghai. Forchielli is an expert in international business development, particularly in China and India, thanks to his strategic abilities based on a 30 years experience. He publishes a weekly release: ‘Notebook from Shanghai’ on Radiocor Il Sole 24 Ore, the largest Italian Financial Press Agency. He also holds weekly interviews on China economy on Radio 24 - Il Sole 24 Ore and he publishes his own Blog on Caixin Media website in China: fugeli.blog.caixin.com/, and his own English blog: www.albertoforchielli.com. Born in Bologna, in his own operative background he experienced working and extensively living in several Countries all over the world: Singapore at Finmeccanica, Washington DC at World Bank, Luxembourg at European Investment Bank, Rome at IRI Group, Turin, Boston and London, Santiago and Lima at Mac Group, Hong Kong and Shanghai at Mandarin Capital Partners.

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About Alberto

Alberto Forchielli, born in 1955, received an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s cum laude in Economics from the University of Bologna. He is a founding partner of Mandarin Capital Partners, and the founder and president of Osservatorio Asia, a non-profit research center focused on Asia. He is also the founder of T-Island, a consultancy agency specialized in international relocations for professionals. In addition, he guided the expansion of the Roland Berger Foundation to Italy, which provides individual support for talented students lacking means to further their educations.